Mr Dowden wrote to Rail Minister Andrew Jones, who was appointed to the role on Tuesday, November 13, in a fresh bid to have Oyster technology rolled out into his constituency.

Extending the Oyster network has been one of Mr Dowden’s key priorities as MP, and he has regularly met with Rail Ministers and the Transport Secretary to urge them to deliver on past commitments to do so.

He said: “This has been one of my main priorities and the delay in introducing it this year has been bitterly disappointing.

“I made clear to the Minister the benefits which Oyster would bring, allowing people to travel more flexibly, easily and cheaply into London. I urge the Department for Transport to now look at this again and agree to deliver this important service to our area.”